How has the industry changed since the last All In Census?
In two years, how much has the industry changed for the people who work in it?
That’s the question the All In Census will seek to answer when it returns on 12 March.
With one week to go, the Advertising Association, the IPA, Isba and Kantar launched a campaign at Piccadilly Lights on Wednesday to remind the industry of the key date. The unveiling was attended by representatives of the All In working groups.
Data gathered from the 2025 census will help inform the All In Action Plan, which includes eight action points to help the industry build an exclusive workplace.
The last census, which was carried out in 2023, found an industry under immense pressure. One-third of all respondents reported feeling stressed or anxious.
Notably, stress was higher than the industry average for those who identify as non-binary, disabled, LGBTQ+, carers, under-34s, mixed race and women. Furthermore, a fifth of participants said they were likely to leave their company in the next 12 months.
Meanwhile, though there had been an increase in women occupying C-suite positions compared with the previous census in 2021, more than half of women surveyed believed that parental leave had negatively impacted their career progression.
Elsewhere, the 2023 survey found there was a decline in under-represented groups who said they experienced discrimination compared with 2021.
But two years is a long time in advertising. What does the industry hope to see in the 2025 census? The Media Leader asked industry leaders for their thoughts.
Kathryn Jacob, CEO, Pearl & Dean; chair, All In Working Group
“As All In chair since 2021, I’ve seen the benefits of businesses urging their staff to complete the All In Census and the real power of data to inform actions that have a positive impact on every single person in our industry.
“But we cannot continue to drive the industry talent action plan without input, so one thing I want to see in this new All In Census is commitment to industry-wide participation.
“We received nearly 19,000 responses to the 2023 All In Census and, to date, it remains the largest industry workplace survey of its kind. In 2025, I believe we can do even better.
“So show up, take part and make sure your voice is heard on 12 March.”
Ross Jenkins, CEO, Mediahub
“Some of the numbers, particularly those around stress, burnout and mental health, probably won’t have changed much since 2023, because the same macros still hold true — the marketing services industry continues to be characterised by an oversupply of agencies scrambling for the same work, the same revenues and keeping clients happy, whilst still placing too little emphasis on the value and business impact it creates.
“All of this creates an economic environment in which businesses must run harder to stand still — and in a people-based industry, that shows up as burnout, stress and anxiety. That’s part of the backdrop and it won’t change until the industry gets better at proving its value.
“Simultaneously, Gen Z has led a shift in people’s willingness to talk openly about issues like burnout, which is clearly a positive, but it may make the numbers look higher, despite all the effort by employers and agencies to manage issues like workload and improve flexible working.
“This makes an apples-to-apples read difficult but, overall, we wouldn’t expect much to have changed. We would, though, expect some of the numbers to have ‘improved’.
“The likelihood of someone seeking a change of job will probably be diminished, partly because of the concerted effort by agencies to enhance the working environment and career progression opportunities, but partly because there is less fluidity in the jobs market than there was in 2023.”
Kate Rowlinson, UK CEO, GroupM
“Advertising can and should be an industry where anyone can thrive for the long term. The All In Census is important for understanding how the industry as a whole is delivering on that promise.
“It helped to show the need for changes — such as the IPA’s People First Pledge, spearheaded by GroupM’s Josh Krichefski, which has helped the industry to focus on the unspoken problem of stress and poor mental health through heavy workloads and demanding pitches. It also identified the struggle for menopausal women.
“Of course, we must look internally to understand our own challenges. But industry-wide transparency is essential to make advertising a welcome space for everyone and can help to unearth the common issues.
“The All In Census should be used as a check-in to understand the picture of employee experience in this industry: the good, the bad and the ugly.”
Cass Naylor, co-director of advocacy, Outvertising
“The 2023 results painted a quite dispiriting picture for LGBTQIA+ people in adland and unfortunately I don’t expect that these upcoming results will show an improvement, given the political environment.
“On the contrary, I expect that the census will reveal a significant decline in mental wellbeing and resistance to return-to-office mandates captured in work-pattern preferences. I’d be interested to know how many people followed through on their expressed likelihood to leave their organisations in 2023/24 — my hope being that we haven’t seen such a decline in the LGBTQIA+ proportion of the adland population or leadership.
“Our systems change from within and we need voices on the inside driving home the case for (and the path to) real inclusion and equity, so as to address the very worrying trends we see in the data.”
Kate Anthony, UK managing director, Spark Foundry
“As global uncertainties grow, sadly I think it’s a natural conclusion that stress levels are likely to increase in our industry, especially within communities that already feel marginalised. With some organisations stepping back from DEI efforts, it’s understandable that people may feel less secure about being seen and heard.
“To address this, as we know our industry’s strength lies in the diversity of its talent, their unique perspectives and that their brilliant ideas drive innovation, I’m really hoping we will see even bigger strides in representation since the last census.
“We must continue to strive to create an environment where everyone feels safe to contribute, ensuring that open communication is prioritised and nurtured — empowering individuals to share their insights and do their best work without fear of judgment or exclusion.”